


It Takes Two

by HelLoRosenberg



Category: Downton Abbey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-02
Updated: 2012-12-04
Packaged: 2017-11-06 15:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/420625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelLoRosenberg/pseuds/HelLoRosenberg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the Crawley family had not three daughters, but 5. Lucy and Charlotte are Cora and Robert's 8 year old mischievous twin daughters. They know nothing but the joys of a carefree life where their troubles are few with there biggest problem being what trouble they can get in during the day but how will the sinking of the Titanic change that? Set the day before the titanic sunk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blissful Ignorance

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written under the pen name Lorrswim34. Enjoy!!!!

April 14th, 1912

It was a typical, ordinary spring day in the Yorkshire country side. The sun hid bind a dense patch of fluffy, gray clouds, intensifying the colors of the grounds of Downton Abbey and giving everything a rich and saturated feeling. A light rain fell from the sky, tapping on the window so lightly it seemed to keep the entire house in a calm, sleepy state. This was the setting that Lucy Imogen Crawley woke up to from a long and restful slumber. She blinked a few time, allowing her bright blue eyes to adjust to the little bit of light the filled the room. She could hear a fire crackling in the background, the shadow of the flames dancing on the ivory and gold walls. As each part of her body began to wake up, she turned on her side to face the other bed in the room, that of her fraternal twin sister, Charlotte Rose, Lottie as the entire family so lovingly called her. They were the youngest of the Crawley daughters and, according to their father, their birth had to have started a record for having 5 children and not one a male, an heir to the estate.

According to just about everyone, their father had been so excited to find out their mother was once again pregnant, after 7 years of no signs of another child. Robert dotted on his wife and their mother, Cora, the entire time and on the night of their birth, was expecting nothing less than the heir he so desperately wanted and needed. At the announcement of the birth of a girl, the Earl signed a little and stated "Well there is always next year," while pouring himself a glass of brandy and chugging it down in an instant while his three other daughters, Mary, Edith, and Sybil, sat tensely on the large library couch, not sure how to react. Never did he expect that no more than 5 minutes later that his wife's new ladies maid, Sarah O'Brien, would rush into the library to announce there was another baby. At this news Robert rejoiced. Finally the boy he had hoped for, a protector for the little sister that was now being cleaned and swaddled. He couldn't be more wrong. Twenty minutes later, Dr. Clarkson walked in the room and with one look, Robert knew he would not get the heir he was hoping for any time soon.

Robert was reluctant at first to go see his two newborn daughters, but after another two glasses of brandy, and much convincing and scolding by his mother, the Dowager Countess, he ascending the stairs to the master bedroom where the new members of the family waited, knowing that if he didn't he would not only be mad at himself, but never hear the end of it from his mother. He took a deep breath though before knock on the door, waiting for his wife's permission to enter and doing just so. His eyes went straight to his beautiful wife, her hair disheveled and drenched at the hairline, her eyes filled with fatigue from the labor two births, but a smile that radiated throughout the room was what made him approach closer. Two tiny bundles laid lovingly in her arms. Robert gazed at them as they slept, both newborns cooing and stirring in their slumber every so often. They were so different despite them being minutes apart. Although the same size, one was black of hair just like his wife and after a slight open of the eye, he could see she had the eyes of her sisters, Mary and Edith. The others' hair was the color of his mother, his sister, and his middle daughter, bright, fiery and shining like gold, and according to his wife, she had their eyes, the perfect shade of bright piercing blue. After seeing them for just a moment, he could care less about what gender they were.

Lucy thought about this all for some reason in the moments after she woke up, waiting for her sister to stir in her sleep so she could chat with her without feeling bad about disturbing her. She wasn't sure why these thoughts popped up, but it probably had to do with the constant though of her sister Mary's upcoming engagement to the heir, their cousin Patrick. That's all anyone seemed to talk about now a days to the point where it made the two girls want to just hide out of sight to avoid hearing about dresses, and flowers, and dinner menus. The two had always been partners in crimes, thick as thieves, always no more than a step behind each other. It was not surprise that only being awake for a minute that she saw her sisters begin to stir in bed and her eyes blinking open. Lucy stared into her sisters chocolate brown eyes, her hand propped up on her head, awkwardly placed due to multitude of tied spits of cloth in her red hair, all in the name of curling her hair, well keep it's natural curl at least. Her sister did the exact same thing, placing her hand the exact fashion in her own mess of brown rag curls and mirroring her smile perfectly. If it wasn't for their complete different colorings they truly would have been identical, with the same face, same nose, same brows and of course, the same mischievous smile.

"Morning," They both said to each other in unison, laughing after the fact. Their minds always seemed to be synced and it was a frequent thing to hear them saying the exact thing at the exact time, even sentences. It drove their sister's mad most of the time, but that to them is what made it so enjoyable.

"Have a good night sleep?" Lucy asked, knowing that her response would be either good or very good as Charlotte didn't wake her once during the night due to a bout of insomnia or to sneak out of the room to go a get a snack in the kitchen

"Very well sister dearest. Do you want me to ring the bell? I'm already starving and I haven't even been up for 5 minutes."

"As am I. Besides I want to have as much fun as possible before our lesson with Fraulein this afternoon." She said, before yelling random phrases in a harsh German accent which caused Lottie to go into a fit of giggles. As her sister began to go on about curtsying, Lottie pulled the rope that connected to their bell downstairs, signaling the exact women they were mocking to come and get them ready for the day.

The staff of Downton was beginning to gather in their dining room, getting the much needed meal to help them get through there morning work. Sarah O'Brien was the first to sit down at the worn, wooden table, her eyes filled with anger and her face blank and emotionless. She thought this would be an easy day, but of course with her luck it wouldn't be. Mrs. Hughes had come to her as soon as she came down to the kitchen to tell her that Fraulein Gertrude had taken ill and would not be able to work today and that she would need to get the twins dressed. Why her she wondered and not one of the newer maids? She was paid to serve her Ladyship and no one else, and now they expected her to take care of those rambunctious twin girls as well? She would not only need a little luck, she would need a miracle to get through the day. As soon as breakfast was set on the table and the rest of the housemaids, footmen, and various servants took their place, she bent her head and prayed not only for the food on her plate, but the strength to even make it through the day. She was able to get half a bowl of porridge and a few sips of strong, black tea down before the bells began to ring. Looking up she saw that it was the bell to the nursery ringing, the twins room. Bracing herself, O'Brien placed down her cup of tea and began to make the long trek upstairs, tea tray in hand and a prayer in her head. As soon as she reached the room, which seemed to be reached sooner than she liked, she put the tray down on the rich oak table outside the door and knocked twice. She was not expecting the unison choir of "Come in" from two young voices on the other side. She wondered if they always talked like that by accident or just to act cute. Grabbing the tray, and saying one last prayer she walked in

In the time that Lottie had rung the bell for their morning tea and to get dress, the two girl had already had a small pillow fight, and were now in Lucy's bed laughing and giggling at all there little inside jokes, especially the ones about their Governess and their older sisters. Just as they always did, as soon as they heard the knock on the door, they said come in at the same time, however instead of the plump, cheerful German women that, despite their jokes and hate of her lessons, they liked her only a little less than their own mother, their mother's cold and impersonal ladies maid appeared. For once the pair did not have a word to say and after an awkward moment of silence, except for the characteristic sound of their tea tray being set down, the women spoke.

"You Governess has taken ill so I will be getting you dressed this morning. You lessons have been cancelled for the day and you will spend the morning with your mother after breakfast to supplement your actual lessons." The two just nodded, getting out of bed, jumping slightly as their feet touched the cold wooden floor. The Ladies maid went straight to their wardrobe, and pulled out 6 dresses for them to choose from and laying them on their respective beds. Lucy looked at Charlotte as the women picked out their clothes, and it didn't take a single move of the mouth for the girl to understand each other "What does she think we are 4 and too little to pick out our clothing?" Charlotte though with a single look and she knew her sister was probably thinking the same thing. The two took generous sips of tea as the Ladies maid began to pull all the necessities they would need. Lottie and Lucy just watch as if it were an expedition, mesmerized at the women's process. Before they had knew it though, the girl had been stripped from their night gowns and each put in their undergarments, a pair of overdraws, a chemise, and a train corset, as well as a pair of black tights. They were then shoved into similar, simple long sleeved, knee length dresses with white lace accenting the collar and sleeves, Lucy's in mint and Charlotte in pink. Just as quickly as they were dress, their hair was taken out the long strips of cloth, leaving thick, loose, well defined curls dangling around their face. They kept the deep right parts they had the night before when setting their hair and pulled it to the side with a large bow to match their dresses. And when the last button on their shoe was done, O'Brien finally spoke again.

"Is there anything else I can do for you Ladies?" She asked, standing up and placing the booking hook back in the drawer of their vanity table with little emotion and a clear want to leave the room. The two looked at each other and with a nod of agreement, Charlotte stepped forward and said.

"Can we see mother before breakfast," She asked with a tilt of the head and a smile that would be hard to resist in her father's eyes but O'Brien was a different story. Even the two of them doing it, as no doubt Lucy did the same, couldn't break this woman.

"I don't think her Ladyship would like to be bothered so early in the morning." O'Brien said matter of factly, as if the two girls were strangers and not the women the wanted to see's flesh and blood.

"Please, Please Please," The two said again in unison, knowing that the women probably would just give in just to stop them from not only getting her in trouble for not obeying orders, but also to stop them from pleading and speaking together. Without a word the women opened the door for them, and pointed down to the hallway of the master bedroom. With a little smile, the two girls looked at each other with a little smile of accomplishment, grabbed each others hand and skipped down the hallway with glee, celebrating their accomplishment for having O'Brien, stone cold O'Brien, give in to their wish with only a small protest. Lucy reached the door a step first and with a flick of the wrist knocked on the door three times.

"Who is it." Their mother asked in her signature American accent

"Three guesses who," they both said and after a few second their mother repeated back.

"Come in my little pixies." Every since they could remember, mama had called them that as they were not only the smallest of the Crawley's but the most mischievous, just like the mythical woodland creatures themselves. Opening the door, they saw the joyous smile on their mother's face. She was still in bed, having probably woken up only a few minutes ago. Her hand reached out from under the rich, silking sheets of her bed, and patted to each side. The twins went to each side, jumping on the bed to their respective spots with a little thump. Their mother gave each of them a good morning kiss on the forehead and a look into their eyes before saying

"Did O'Brien take care of you alright this morning? Gazing across at each other first, Lucy was the first to speak. "Well she isn't Fraulein, but."

"We do look quite good If I do say so myself." Lottie said, continuing her sister's sentence. The really couldn't think about anything to complain about and it wasn't worth mentioning not being able to pick what they wore. They technically never got a choice. If it was up to them, the twins would rather wear clothes they could roll down hills in, ride horse in every day and even jump in the lake in, but they were forced to bare the life of being dressed up like China Dolls and they would never be able to change the fact.

"I don't think you could ever look bad my darlings. Did O'Brien tell you would spend the morning with me instead of your normal lessons."

"Yes." They both said sourly. The two would rather have a day where they could do whatever their hearts desired, nothing planned an everything impromptu and spending the morning embroidering handkerchiefs and painting china was the last thing they wanted to do. But Granny would probably have a field day if she found out that their granddaughters were climbing tree, riding horses like men, and playing cricket instead of doing what well brought up Ladies did which stay was inside and learn to be proper wife. She could just hear her saying that they weren't Native American girls from their mother's country and she didn't want them to start acting like that.

"I promise you that you can have the time after lunch until tea time all to yourself if you behave." She said, hoping that this would motivate her free spirited girls to settle down for the morning. And by the excited look on their faces, she could tell that they might just do that

What she didn't know was that the two clever girls were already interpreting her words for their own pleasure. When they heard time all to themselves, they heard it as a time to do whatever they wanted and being stuck in the nursery, reading and playing with there dolls. After all, she didn't give them options on what to do with that time. Without a word out loud, and their plans already being formulated, Lucy and Lottie nodded yes in agreement. Their mother smiled and with a knock on the door, they knew there little alone time with their mother was over. Cora signaled for O'Brien to come in, and as their mother was set up for her usual breakfast in bed, the twins walked towards the stairs to go down for the own meal. Once out of ear sight, they began to speak again.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lottie asked as she began to walk down the grand staircase, her sister not more than a step behind, her. As soon as Lucy caught up she responded

"Sneaking out side to run and roll in the fields and maybe take a quick dip in the lake?"

They both nodded in agreement, stepping down the stairs, full of smiles and a plan to make their day quite fun.


	2. The Twins' Shenanigens

As they walked into the dining room, Charlotte and Lucy's stomachs began to grumble form the smell of freshly cooked bacon and cheese and chive scrambled eggs. Their father was in his usual state, at the head of the table, his plate half full of eggs, a quarter full of toast and the remainder filled with 3 pieces of bacon. Absorbed in his paper, he seemed to tend to forget about his food, leading him to eat very slowly, and usually he was the last to leave the table.

"Good Morning Papa." The two girls said in unison before each giving a peck on cheek at the same time. They then went up to the buffet, trying to help themselves like the big girls they thought they were. However, still a bit too short to reach, Carson, the butler, intervened, and helped them fill their plates. They both tucked in, placing the cloth napkins on their laps to protect their beautiful dresses, just as their mother, their governess, and just about every other woman in the family have taught them too. It wasn't until they had began eating did their father turn his attention away from his paper to eat, and chat with his youngest daughters.

"So girls, what do you plan to do today now that your lessons have been cancelled?" The girls looked at each other a second, swallowing the bits of food in their mouth before answering.

"We don't really know yet?" Lottie stated, a half lie in her mind as they really only had strict plans for the morning.

"We are spend the morning with Mama doing needle point," Lucy exclaimed, knowing very well that her mother would suggest such an activity. They looked at their father, waiting for his response before continuing to eat

"Just try not to get into too much trouble today," he said with a little smile. He knew his daughter all too well to know that they most likely had a plan for today that their mother would not approve of and would cause their grandmother to have a fit. He did not have any son's, but Robert believed his twin daughter's had spirits that could match any little boy in the village. Both were feminine and loved dolls and bows, but they also liked nothing more than to cause mischief, run around the grounds, roll down the hills, and ride horses without a side saddle. They were young and they only had each other to play as their sisters were far too old for such things. In a few years he knew they would settle down a bit, just as their eldest sister Mary did around their age, although he expected that their high spirits would never decrease.

Just as Robert finished his sentence, his eldest daughter Mary and his second eldest, Edith, walked in and before even grabbing a plate or saying good morning to their father, Mary decided to add her two cents to the conversation

"Asking them to not cause trouble is like asking a lion not to kill a zebra." She said quite dryly, while helping herself to breakfast, and then sat down at the opposite side of the table. The twins would have rolled their eyes at that, but with their father's watchful eye most likely upon them, they decided to hold back. Besides, they didn't want to turn into little Mary's, as their eldest sister was known to roll her eyes at almost anything that seemed to annoy her, and all most of the time her little act was ignored, she did get quite a scolding when she was caught in the act, her mother usually being the on to raise her voice, which seemed to be more of a close teeth hiss, like a snake about to kill it's pray. All of the Crawley girls knew to close their mouths or stop what they were doing when their mother spoke like that. It was her one secret weapon, something even her husband didn't ignore or pass off.

"Oh please, that's the pot calling the kettle black. According to just about everyone you were just as bad as they are when you were their age." Edith said Matter of factly as she sat down next to Lucy. Although she did not always support her younger sister's endeavors, she wouldn't let Mary call them names

"Oh, Hush."Mary snapped. The twins stayed silent throughout the entire argument, their eyes darting back and forth, that was until their father stepped in.

"Please girl's. There is no need to argue over this and ruin a perfect good family meal. No settle down, all of you. I shall hear no more of this." And with that, the entire room went quiet accept for the characteristic sound of utensils on china, loader than usual in the deafening silence. In what seemed like an hour though, the middle daughter, Sybil walked in with a smile on her face. She was the only truly good one out of the bunch, a saint in comparison. Her presence seemed to lift the dark cloud that had formed and as she sat down next to Mary, the family was able to have a nice discussion about the upcoming hunt that was scheduled for next week. The girls finished their breakfast soon after and as a group; the family went their separate ways, Edith and Mary to their respective charity meetings, Sybil to her lesson with her tutor and their father to his study. The twins thanked Carson before leaving the room and heading to the parlor to sit and wait for mama as they knew their father would not want them rooming the lawns this early in the day. They each took an handle and opened the double doors simultaneously and shutting them behind them as they let as they walked into the bright room. Every color in the room seemed richer in from the grey clouded sky, but the rain had finally stopped and a bit of sunshine was peeking out behind the clouds, casting its rays on the white walls of the room. The girls took a seat on the sofa, fixing there dresses once they got themselves comfy. It was too quite in the room and the second grew long and longer as they waited for their mother to come so she could teach them needlepoint like she had always wanted to, despite the fact she had to nearly tie the two girls down to teach them long enough. But today they had hardly an excuse. It was already a boring day without lessons and the two knew that they had to learn this skill sometime if they were ever going to be proper women, so as they waited, they decided to make their own fun.

Lucy tapped her sister on the shoulder and as the brown haired girl turned in her direction, the red head began to stare into her sister's eyes, not moving or blinking. Charlotte knew what this meant and without even making a sound joined in, accepting her sister's challenge at a staring contest. They sat there in silence for a good minute and a half before their mother walked in, and even then they didn't move.

"Honestly girls, your faces will get stuck that way if you keep doing that." She said with a smile as she grabbed her needle point basket and the piece she had been working on, a nice large tapestry with beautiful embroidered flowers in pink, gold and red, the leaves and stems as green as the lawn itself. Their mother had such a talent for this art, but that didn't mean it transferred to all of her daughters. As the twins grabbed a holder, yarn and fabric, ended their contest in a draw, they began to stitch, yet every little push of the needle lead to crocked lines or a nasty prick of the needle for Lucy, who practically gave up before she could even make headway. Charlotte on the other hand seemed to have no trouble, her stitches matching in length and straightness each time, the beginning of a beautiful hummingbird coming through in an array of colors, grey gold and black. After what seemed like an eternity for Lucy and minutes for Charlotte, their mother told them that if they had enough they could go off and play in their nursery after they has luncheon. Lucy practically ran out of the room, throwing her work into her mother's basket, while Lottie finished the last of her stitches before heading herself. Before they were able to leave the room, their mother stopped them to give them one last bit of instructions.

"You Grandmother is coming for tea this afternoon around 3." She did need to tell them anything else as she expected her girls would understand that they were to be down in the sitting room at 2:45 as their Grandmother was notorious for arriving early in order to catch everyone unprepared.

"Yes Mama." The two said quite innocently before closing the large door behind them. The girl went into the dining room, and sat down at their usual spots, and just as they did everyday, the family ate their lunch together, chatting lightly, and then went their separate way. Instead of heading to their rooms, however, the girls excused them selves when they were through, and walked out into the entrance hall. As soon as the found the coast clear, Lottie opened the door that lead to the kitchen down below and both girls walked though, quick as flint, shutting it quietly behind them. If they wanted to sneak out of the house and play by the lake, it was the only way. Normally their mother would have allowed them the freedom of the grounds but with weather like this, cloudy and raining one minute, sunny the next, it was better to keep them inside than run the risk of them getting colds. The girls could care less about that though, and as they walked down the narrow wooden stairs, they could hear the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, smell tonight's meal in the beginning of its preparation, as well as the unmistakable smell of silver polish. They decided to run through the kitchen to see if they could get some biscuits for their outside endeavor. Walking into the smaller, warm room, they were immediately greeted by the sound of the cook, Mrs. Patemore, hollering and scolding her kitchen staff, especially the Daisy, the scullery maid. The girls had only seen Daisy a few times, but from that, both girl's agreed that she was a nice girl.

"What can I do for you ladies?" Mrs. Patemore asked as she hastily chapped carrots.

"Do you have any more of those shortbread biscuits ready?" Lucy asked, looking at the cabinet where the cookie jar was kept. The red haired women just nodded her head, and went straight to work as the twins nearly ran over to the jar, taking three cookies each to snack on during their walk. Charlotte turned around before closing the cabinet and saw Daisy coming their way. This prompted the dark haired twin to grab one more cookie, and once the maid was in reach, Lottie tapped the girl on the shoulder and placed the cookie in the girls pocket with a smile. Daisy just looked at the girl and then smiled back, a thank you louder than word appearing in her eyes. And with that, the girl put everything back the way it was, and headed out the back door.

Servants crowded the back area, smoking, chatting, and laughing, but the twins kept walking on, turning a few head along the way until they finally reached the main path that lead to the lawn. The pebbles and grass glistened with rain drops, and the sky finally turned blue. The girls walked in silence, snacking on their cookies, the only sound being that of their chewing, the distinct sound of hard shoes on pebbles and the sound of birds singing in the nearby trees, it was the perfect spring day. After they finished their little snack, the girls had already made it to the ruins on the ground, a place they spent most of their days playing. They acted out many a story their and today they were in an Elizabethan court with Lucy as Queen Elizabeth and Charlotte as the many members asking for various requests. They went on for a good two hours playing this, laughing and giggle at Lucy's regal voice and her shots of "Off with his head." They always had a swell time just using their imaginations. By the time they leaped of off of the old pile of bricks, their dresses were only slightly dirty but they knew that would change. The heat began to pick up a bit, making it appropriate in their minds to go sit by the duck pond and maybe, just maybe go for a swim. They walked off the path a bit and instead of walking down the steep grassy knoll that lead to the water's edge, the two rolled down it, nearly crashing into each other in the process, of course though, that only lead to an even bigger fit of giggles as they counted the number of grass stains they had gotten and pulled stray strands of grass out of their hair.

The duck pond was quiet today with none of the usually birds in sight. The girls sat down by the edge, dipping their hands in the water and watching it swirl around their fingers. There couldn't be a greater day like this one.

"I wish Fraulein was sick every day," Lottie said as she laid down in the grass, looking up at the white clouds above

"Me too. We never get to do anything fun when she's around." Lucy agreed. Watching the water droplets from her hand fall back into the water creating circles with each drop. The two could have sat there forever, just relaxing and talking about all the times they had tried to prank their governess or sneak away from her, most ending in successful attempts only to be caught minutes later. It was good to have a day to themselves, without learning how to be proper or how to speak French and German. But their little time of peace and quiet was interrupted as they saw their sister, Mary, coming towards them, most likely to bring them back to the house before their grandmother got their and to be scolded for leaving the house without telling anyone.

"Where have you two been? Mother has been looking all over for you. Granny will be here soon. What have you two done to your clothes?" she asked, eyeing them from head to toe. In a matter of hours, the two had messed up their hair, gotten grass stains on their dress, as well as dirt on their tights. Looking at each other with a smirk, Lottie began to speak first, knowing exactly what to say

"We just came to look at the baby ducks." Mary just eyed them, unamused before looking at the pond for any sign of the fuzzy babies.

"I don't see any baby ducks!" She said matter of factly and staring them down. That was when Lucy said

"What do you mean, there is one right over there at the far side of the pond." And with that she pointing the direction, leaning in a bit, knowing very well that there was no duck, but the day won't be complete without a pulling a good prank on Mary. Mary decided to appease her sisters and got close to the water's edge, and leaned over to look for herself. Unlucky for her though, her sister plan worked. As she kept leaning over, trying to get to Lucy's point of view, the eldest daughter lost her balance and fell into the pond, becoming drenched in the process.

"What is wrong with you?" She screamed as Lucy and Lottie began to have an unstoppable laughing fit while their sister continued to yell and call them all sorts of thing. After a while of laughing, and watching Mary to struggle to get out, the girl decided to reach down and do some good by helping their sister out of the mess they created. What they didn't expect was for their sister to pull them in. They were now just as wet as she was and were now aware that their sister didn't need any help at all. As soon as the twins fell in, Mary climbed out, and said.

"An Eye for an Eye!" with a angry smirk before storming of to go back to the house. The girl just sat in the water, accomplished smiles on their faces before climbing out and heading back themselves. They knew they probably would be in a lot of trouble for the amount of shenanigans they had caused, but to them it was a fun day none the less, and what was worth have fun without taking a bit of a risk. The walk back to the house was quite a long one, and the girls did not realize just how cold they were until a breeze began to blow. When they reached the house and walked inside, they were not surprised to see their mother a less than amused look on her face.

"What in the world have you girls done?" she said, staring them down. The girls looked at each other, the smiles wiping from their faces in an instant.

"We didn't mean for her to fall in. We told Mary that we saw a duck, at least Charlotte thought she did," Lucy said, looking at her sister.

"And well, Mary lost her balance and fell in. We tried to help her out, but we lost our balance ourselves." Despite what had happened, they didn't want to get Mary involved as it really was their fault meaning they didn't tell their mother that she really pulled them in, and that they really did want her to fall in. It was just a little lie, so they told themselves. They stared at their mother, waiting for her punishment, instructions, anything. Their mother just shook her head.

"Mary said quite the same thing, except that you pushed her in, but I'm not going to play he said she said. Your grandmother will be here soon and I don't have time for a full out trial. Just go upstairs and get cleaned up and we'll discuss this later." She said, walking away to the parlor to wait for tea. The girls did as they were told and went to their rooms. They took of their wet clothes and took the ribbons out of their hair and in no time Anna was there, drawing up their bath. Unlike O'Brien, Anna was sweets as meringue. However, they rarely had her as a ladies' maid since she had to take care of their three old sisters, but it was a rare treat when she did because she always made sure they looked their best. She made sure the water to their baths were not to hot or cold and to save time, the girls climbed in together, scrubbing the dirt out from their nails and getting the pond water out of their hair. Anna was back in do time to give them warm fluffy towels, and get them into their robes as they would have to dry off longer before dinner. They had already missed the chance for tea, and they sure hoped that their mother wasn't telling their grandmother just how bad her granddaughter had been today.

It was a quarter six when O'Brien came to get them ready for dinner and just as before, the women spoke no words as she got them ready, but just went to their wardrobe, pulled out their evening dresses, a knee taffeta party dress with short puffy sleeves for both of them in pink and blue, their undergarments, and their evening shoes. They were dressed quickly their hair was thankful salvable and pulled to the side with natural curls and tied with matching bows. By the time O'Brien had finished with them, it was still a good forty five minutes before dinner, so they decided to finally be good and just play with their dolls, brushing the precious china faced beauties hair until it shined and after that decided to read the books they had borrowed from the library. When it was time to go down, they did so together, and entered the drawing room hand in hand. Mary ignored them as expected, but their mother did not seem to angry and gave them a loving smile, as did their other sisters. Their grandmother was the first to speak to them.

"I missed you two today at tea. Your mother told me both of you and Mary was a bit under the weather." They were a little shocked by this statement but at the same time grateful their mother didn't tell. After a few seconds of silence the girl said at the exact same time. "Yes we were."

"We had quite bad headaches." Lucy exclaimed.

"It must be the weather." Charlotte continued, sitting down in one of the chairs, while her sister took her place next to their grandmother. After that, the chatter became quite every day, about how the weather has been quite horrid lately and other gibber gabber. Luckily Carson came in soon after to announce dinner and everyone headed into the dining room.

Lucy and Charlotte took their place in-between their mother and Sybil, which unfortunately placed them across from Mary. They stayed quite silent as they ate their soup, but when the next course came out, a large fish, that was when Charlotte exclaimed with out thinking.

"Look! It's Mary's new friend from this afternoon." This caused Lucy laugh and Mary to roll her eyes. Edith and Sybil tried not to laugh them, Robert to shoke his head and Cora just stared at her daughter, hoping they would get the message. Everyone seemed to understand the joke except for the Dowager Countess, who looked at Charlotte in quite confusion. It was one of those moments that proved life was never dull at Downton, and just how happy of a life they had. What they didn't know was that in a few hours, everything would change and life would no longer be as solid as it was now.


	3. The Not So Unsinkable Ship

The twins woke up much the same way they did the day before. They had gone to bed almost immediately after dinner was finished, their punishment for the trouble they had caused during the day and for their remarks at dinner. However, when both girls finally shaken off the last bit of sleep, something didn't fill right. Sure, everything in the room was the same, the grandfather clock still ticked, the fireplace danced with hot flames and glowing embers, even their music box laid open from the night before when they fell asleep to the relaxing melody, watching the dancer twirl around and around until their eyes were too tired to look and closed heavily, drifting them off into deep sleep. Even though their usual objects of comfort were all there, the house seemed quite still, the sky looked even more somber than usual, and despite o their thick, golden, down comforters and the crackling fire that bathed the entire room in its warmth, both girl still seemed to have goose bumps.

It became obvious soon enough why things seemed upside down. When their Governess came to wake them up, she did not give them their usual smile. Instead, she had quite an unreadable expression, on there had never seen on the face of the usual happy go lucky plump women. She got them dressed in silence a bit and then, after she realized the tension she was causing said.

"I'm sorry I'm so silent ladies. I just read the most shocking news." One look on Lucy and Charlotte's face though told them that she would not be hiding any of it from them. She continued to undo Charlotte's hair from her rag curls and finished what she was saying after another moment of silence, but an infinite amount of time could not prepare them for what Fraulein would say."The titanic sunk last night. It apparently hit an ice berg." Both girls jerked their heads to look at her, but what were more dramatic was the loud sounds of shock coming from the dropped jaws. Lucy had dropped her doll right on the floor, forgetting it was even in her grasp. If hadn't been for the rug it would have shattered, but even that could not cause their shift in attention. Their papa had bragged about that ship for months, saying how it was amazing how their great nation could produce such a beauty, the first unsinkable ship. He had planned to take the family over in May with Cousin James and Patrick, Downton's Heirs. There were going to go to New York for the first time, see their grandmother, but now that would not be happening. They couldn't fathom it, how something said to be unsinkable could sink. That wasn't possible, it had to be a mistake, but they knew it couldn't been, and just like their father said how people lie to make themselves look better, maybe adults did the same to ships and buildings.

"What about the people on board. I hope everyone is alright." Charlotte said quite innocently. She couldn't picture anyone dying, that if it sunk, people would go on the life boats, just like Papa had pointed out in a picture in the paper. But then she remembered what the article said, how they only put a minimum amount for regulation and to avoid crowding the deck. It was unsinkable so there was no need. She knew the answer their governess would give them.

"I'm sorry to say that a lot of people didn't survive last night." That was all she said. It wasn't her business to tell the girls such tragic stories, but their parent's to explain to them why not everyone could have lived. Lottie looked down at her knees, blushing under her stupidity, while Lucy stared off into space. She could picture the people in the boats watching others drowning in the water. She could not stop thinking how that could have been them, how her family could have been on board. What if they had been? After bit of bantering, Fraulein explained how a lot of women and children survived, not all but most. What about the men, she thought, leaving behind their families, little girls like her without daddies anymore. She knew from her trips to London that most people weren't like them, that they got priority almost every where they went over the middle and lower class. Was it the same when saving people too, she wondered. Her mind kept racing over and over again how if she had been given a different life, she could have been dead right now. She was snapped out her thoughts only when Charlotte grabbed her hand, causing the red head to jump a bit. Charlotte looked into her sister's blue eyes, they seemed so empty and scared. She could tell what was bothering her, but knew not to say anything. It would only cause more trouble for Fraulein, more trouble than she needed.

When they walked down the stairs and into the dining room, their father was already there, reading the paper, the Titanic front and center, clear as day in black and white, Lucy turned her head away from it, and after a half hearted good morning from both girl, the grabbed their food, and sat down. As Charlotte ate, Lucy sat, picking at her food. She felt nauseous, sickened from the news. She caught her father's eye, and he could see he knew that they knew.

"Fraulein told you what happened I guess. Tragic isn't it. God help the poor devils below deck. It makes me cold just thinking about the icy waters." He said quite carelessly, realizing what he had said. Putting his paper down, he smiled and said. "Don't worry girls. It doesn't affect us here. Everything will be the same, just you see." Charlotte smiled at that, but Lucy felt somehow sicker. She thought about the people in the bottom of the boat, her father always referred to the lower class as poor devil, and the water. She never though how freezing it was. She had little experience with cold water, but she knew it probably was a million times worst than the time she stuck her hand in the freezing pond water after she dropped her favorite hair pin. She could remember the feeling of warm rushing away from her hands, like a thousand needles pricking her skin, and then she could barely feel it and it took 2 hours in warm water for them to feel better. She had remembered her governess reading a book in the library after that about hypothermia so she could treat her, and although she couldn't understand most of it, she remember it saying how a person can die within a half an hour if submerged in cold water, and that is when she realized that some may have gone a similar way, a slow and painful way to go she though. She went pale as a ghost when she thought of that, but as soon as her sisters began to walk in did she try and distract herself, thinking about the weather. Suddenly, Sybil walked in, a telegram in her hand. Telegrams were always a fun surprise in the house, and the thought of one brightened Lucy up a bit, but as she watched her father read it, his face changing from happy to disturbed in a blink, his skin going as white as paper, did she realize it was a bad telegram, a rarity, but troublesome no less.

All the girls watched their father rush up from the table, leaving his paper behind as he excused himself from the table in a rush. With that, Charlotte looked at Lucy, giving her a look that said they must follow him. They waited a moment before getting up themselves, Lucy leaving behind a full plate. They saw their father rush upstairs, no doubt to their mother's room and after waiting a moment on the stair case, they saw their father go in, as well as O'Brien with her tea tray. As soon as the Lady's maid was out of site, the two, ran toward the door, each lying flat on their stomachs, putting their ear to the crack below. They had just missed their mother asking about some man named JJ Astor when their father abruptly changed the conversation.

"I've had a telegram from George Murray." Robert somberly said. "One of his partners was in New York"

"Yes?" Cora asked, not sure what this had to do with the conversation

"It seems James and Patrick were on board." Both girl's eyes widened at this and it took every bit of energy for them to no gasp in horror.

"They can't! They weren't planning to go over until May with us!"

"Then they changed their plans. They are definitely on the passenger list."

"But surely they were picked up." Cora said, half confidence in her voice. There was no way in her mind that the crew would let such high class men go without a life boat. There was complete silence in the room after that and Cora, and both girl, whose parent did know were listening, knew that they weren't and that they were dead.

"It doesn't look like it." Their father said, but by this time, it was too late, it was know just by his original lake of words that they had been just like the poor devils below death, freezing to death in the Atlantic Ocean with no sign of help. At this point, both girls could no longer listen. They felt quite weak their legs heavy as the iron of the titanic. They just sat there in front of the door, no longer caring if they got caught. They had never known anyone to die in their family, but that didn't mean it didn't happen in society. They had been to one funeral, when they were five, and that was when they learned what death meant, that a person is no longer on this earth, and that their body is just a body, no longer them. They couldn't think of never seeing James or Patrick again. The two didn't want to believe they were dead. Cousin James, a frequent visitor at Downton, he always smelled like tobacco, and his mustache always held a proper curl, ticking the girls checks when he kissed them hello. He always wore his favorite gold pocket watch, and whenever he visited, he always gave the girls a little bit of money to go spend in the village. As for James, he was the indoor type, but that didn't stop him from being a carefree spirit. He was a gentleman, but he knew how to have fun with his youngest cousins. He would tell those stories of his own creation, about mermaids and princesses, fairies and witches. They would never experience any of those small joys again and that is what made them as sad as they were. Charlotte grabbed Lucy's hand, her honey brown eyes filled with tears waiting to fall, and Lucy did not hesitate to drop her head on her sisters shoulder and weep out everything that had bother her. It wasn't long before their father opened the door and saw the two girls crying their eyes out after hearing everything said. He should have known after all these years that they would try and listen in, and of course they successfully did.

"Come he my princesses." He said to them holding out his arms. Both girls fell into them, sobbing about the loss of their favorite cousins, the only cousins they really knew. Robert knew he had to do this, drop his usual properness and be their when his daughters needed love. He picked up, Lucy, letting her cry on his shoulder as he brought them back to their room, Lottie holding on to his other hand, as she was in a better state than her twin. He placed Lucy down on her bed and while Lottie sat next to her. Robert got on one knee and said.

"I know this is hard to believe and I know how upset you girls are, but things will get better, I promise. Stay here for a little and calm down a bit. I'll have you mother tell Fraulein Gertrude bring you up some tea and to delay your lesson a bit. I need to go down and talk to marry alright loves." They both shook their heads, and left, feeling he had done enough to calm them down. When he mentioned Mary was when the two realize just how much this would affect their family. James and Patrick were suppose to inherit Downton and Mary was suppose to marry the younger of two. With them gone, the fate of their families' heir was unknown, like a precious stone dropping down into a deep abyss.


End file.
